On the 9th of December, Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) Zim joined the rest of the world to commemorate 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence in the Makoni District with the theme “All lives matter, End GBV Now!” The event involved various sporting activities (Sport4Change), exhibitions and free health services from the local clinics. The event was covered by local media which included the national TV (ZBC), Diamond FM Radio and Manica Post newspaper. RWA Zim invited women, men, and the youth to be part of the event since GBV affects everyone. A total of 357 people attended this event. Stakeholders from different government departments attended and the guest of honour was the Makoni District Development Coordinator.
In Zimbabwe, about 1 in 3 women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and about 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence, since the age of 15.
To attract people to attend the event RWA Zim organised the Sport4Change initiative which included men’s soccer, women’s soccer, netball, volleyball, and hand ball. This saw a quite number of men and male youths attending the event. RWA Zim took this opportunity to raise awareness and encourage men to take the lead in ending all forms of GBV. In most circumstances men are the perpetrators of GBV so involving them helps to change their mindset on the issues of GBV. During the event around 45 men and boys volunteered to be GBV champions in their villages – a positive step in fighting GBV at community level!
In rural communities in Zimbabwe most GBV cases go unreported, and in many cases the victims do not know where and how to report GBV. In cases of intimate partner violence women, fear to be criticised, ashamed or harassed if they do report. In some instances women fear breaking up their marriages if they report their husbands.
Police Officer Mrs Temba, who was in attendance, took this opportunity to encourage people to report any cases of Gender-Based Violence. She also explained the all the referral procedures as well community safety nets are present to help the victims. She encouraged victims not to suffer in silence.
In addition, Mr Chidhakwa who was from the Ministry of Education applauded RWA for organising the event. In his solidarity speech he stressed that the rate at which children, especially girls, are being abused is very worrisome. Cases of child abuse, teen pregnancies are being reported on daily basis. He encouraged parents, stakeholders, and all responsible authorities to take collective action in protecting children from all forms of abuse.
The guest of honour, Makoni District Development Coordinator, also commended RWA for the event. In his solidarity message and closing remarks he highlighted that fighting GBV requires collective action involving all the communities and responsible authorities. He also encouraged RWA to keep on organising similar events as they help in the fight against GBV.
